"What did you see at the door, Dagaeoga?"
Robert was startled. So, the Onondago was watching, after all. He might have known that nothing would escape his attention.
"I saw Garay, the spy," he replied in the same tone.
"And the man at the little table was the captain of the slave ship on which you were taken?"
"The same."
"It bodes ill, Dagaeoga. You must watch."
"I will, Tayoga."
The crowd in the great room of the George Inn increased and the young group remained, eager to watch it. It was a reflex of the life in the colonies, at the seat of conflict, and throbbing with all the emotions of a great war that enveloped nearly the whole civilized world. A burly fellow, dressed as a teamster, finally made his voice heard above the others.
"I tell you men," he said, "that we must give up Albany! Our army has been cut to pieces! Montcalm is advancing with twenty thousand French regulars, and swarms of Indians! They control all of Lake George as well as Champlain! Hundreds of settlers have already fallen before the tomahawk, and houses are burning along the whole border! I have it from them that have seen the fires."
There was a sudden hush in the crowd, followed by an alarmed murmur. The man's emphasis and his startling statements made an impression.